Sustainable copper mining flowsheets

The LoadIQ system uses smart sensors to determine the optimum mill load. Operating parameters are then adjusted automatically as operating conditions change. Typical throughput increases of up to 6% have been demonstrated. By operating at optimum load, energy consumption is reduced while operating stability is increased. The system also prevents overloading of the mill, reducing the risk of excessive liner wear or damage and extending wear life with a subsequent reduction in maintenance costs and downtime.

HPGR have proven to reduce grinding energy consumption by up to 25% when processing hard, low-grade ores compared to SAG-ball mill circuits. The HPGR Pro upgrade extends these benefits further, delivering an up to 15% lower specific power consumption and an up to 24% higher specific throughput than a standard HPGR in side-by-side performance trials. Meanwhile, its rotating side plate (RSP) technology reduces roll wear, increases roll life, and is expected to achieve up to 30% longer roll life at the same throughput. At the same time, the lower power draw and motor speed extend motor component life.

Featuring a central agitator screw as the only moving part in contact with the slurry and grinding media, the FTM reduces particle size by attrition. This lowers energy consumption for fine-grinding minerals by 25% to 50% compared to traditional horizontal ball mills for the same feed and product size. The vertical arrangement allows internal classification of the feed material, which keeps coarser particles within the grinding media while allowing fines to exit the mill. It also consumes 25% less grinding media while delivering optimum particle size distribution.

VRM have proven more energy efficient than traditional ball milling circuits, making them attractive as a lower-energy, dry-grinding alternative to traditional wet-grinding processes. Typical savings include >20% lower energy consumption. Meanwhile, eliminating grinding media can cut operating costs by ~50% while reducing downstream metal contamination. In addition, high-efficiency air separators can be configured to deliver a steeper product curve with reduced ultrafine particles, enhancing downstream flotation performance.

The coarseAIR coarse particle flotation reduces the grinding required to liberate the ore completely. This delivers up to 30% lower energy consumption per tonne of throughput in the grinding circuit while increasing mill capacity by more than 25%. Coarser particle size in tailings also improves water drainage, improving the safety and sustainability of tailings management.

The RFC is designed to accelerate flotation kinetics, reducing energy consumption. Trials have demonstrated required residency times of just three to four minutes, compared to 31 minutes in conventional flotation plants, with a 1% to 3% increase in recovery possible at equal or slightly improved grade. This substantially lowers the required number of cells compared to conventional flotation to achieve similar performance. Through extensive on-site testing, RFC have proven to reduce copper circuit flotation energy consumption by 27%.

Traditional wet tailings storage facilities consume considerable quantities of water. New tailings management practices, such as thickening, high-pressure filtration, EcoTails® co-mingled tailings, and paste tailings, aim to recover much of this water for reuse in the mineral processing plant, reducing raw water draw and the regional water impact of mining operations, while enhancing the stability – and thus the safety – of tailings storage facilities.